Islamabad (Pak Destiny) The Supreme Court has reserved ‘one good decision’ of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to form a commission for selecting heads of various statutory, autonomous and regulatory bodies, thus giving a ‘free hand’ to the Nawaz government to appoint their ‘blue-eyed’ in any department without necessarily observing merit.
On June 12, 2013, Justice Chaudhry – while giving a judgment in the Khawaja Asif case – had directed the newly elected government to constitute a hiring commission to ensure merit in all future top-level public appointments.
Seventeen months later, the federal government requested the top court to review its judgment and Attorney General for Pakistan Salman Aslam Butt argued against the verdict before a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk.
Issuing a 10-page ruling, the bench on Friday excluded the condition of formation of a commission for top-level appointments. The judgment – authored by Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry – says the SC’s June 2013 ruling had overlooked the provisions of Article 90 of the Constitution.
“The appointment of a commission and the power to make recommendations for such appointments is not in accordance with Article 90 of the Constitution where the power of appointment has been vested in the federal government,” reads the judgment.
Perhaps now the Nawaz government will go for appointing heads of 50 organizations after giving ‘legal cover’ which it delayed for 15 months.
Now the government will not mind appointing Maryam Nawaz like people having no experience and expertise to head the organizations and projects they will be given at their disposal because of their connection with the ruling elite.
Although Iftikhar Chaudhry remained controversial throughout his tenure but he did one good thing not to allow ‘incompetent’ people get top positions.
The PML-N says sorry to Mr Chaudhry for ‘throwing his decision on the matter in dustbin’ for making way for its men on top posts. Pak Destiny